It is customary to provide travelling construction machines with wheel sets having double tires on at least one axle. The double tires are provided to withstand the frequently heavy loads to which such machines are subjected, and also to increase the possibility of cross-country travel. Such vehicles are used particularly at building sites wherein the tires on the wheels are subject to high loads and stresses. It is not possible to prevent foreign objects such as stones, rocks and the like from collecting in the gap between two adjacent tires, thus stressing and possibly damaging the side walls of the tires. Such damage makes it necessary to prematurely replace those tires which are very large and quite expensive.
It is known to incorporate an intermediate ring into the gap between adjacent tires in order to prevent entry of foreign bodies into the gap, an example of a ring of this type being shown in German AS No. 28 22 530. As shown therein, the intermediate ring body is made from a solid material, such as rubber, and its shape corresponds approximately to the lateral bounderies of the gap. Although this provides good closure of the gap, it is necessary to keep a number of ring sizes on hand in order to have an appropriate inventory, because the shape and width of the gap is dependent upon the construction of the wheel set and the particular tire used. In addition, a relatively large amount of material is required for the solid and heavy intermediate ring, causing the ring to be quite expensive even if less expensive base material, such as scrap rubber, is used for producing the rings.